Svalbard Cruises Spitsbergen Cruises

For many the first opportunity for experiencing the Arctic is to take one of the many Svalbard cruises (which are also known as Spitsbergen Cruises) available during the summer.

An expedition cruise is the most typical of the Svalbard holidays on offer and this is the speciality of Arctic Bound, who work with all the principal Svalbard / Spitsbergen cruises operators.

There are different Svalbard holidays to choose from depending on what time of the year you choose or are able to travel. In the early part of the season, the ice pack is still solid in the north of the archipelago, so activities are limited to the southern areas of the main island, Spitsbergen. Nevertheless, there are still many opportunites to see the amazing wildlife of the region, including seals, walrus and polar bears. Spring and early summer are also the time to enjoy the abundant Arctic flora which covers the tundra as the snow melts.

Later in the summer, in August (and sometimes earlier), the ice has receded and Svalbard cruises are able to circumnavigate Spitsbergen. At this time, most of the species of wildlife are usually able to be seen. At sea and on the rocky coastline, there are the ringed, bearded and harp seals along with the massive walrus. Whales are always around and there are good chances to see a number of the species that abound in these waters such as the humpback, bowhead and minke as well as the ubiquitous orca, or killer whale, with its distinctive dorsal fin.

Land animals abound here too. The reindeer is a native of Svalbard and there are also Arctic fox and their prey lemmings and Arctic hare. But it is the sighting of a polar bear which is the principle objective of most visitors’ Svalbard holidays and a circumnavigation offers many more opportunities for this to be achieved, although, quite often, the pristine whiteness of the fur has been discoloured by sand and earth as the snow disappears.

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